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Real Gold Awards Projects

Healing Garden for Cancer Patients
For the Kids Remodeling Project
Animal Therapy with Scout the Dog
3-Day Camp for Disabled Children
Newfound Friendship and the Gold Award
Mexico: Understanding the People, Language, and Culture
"For the Love of Music"
Dance Camp

Healing Garden for Cancer Patients

Lauren tells us, "[The Gold Award] has brought my 14 years in Girl Scouting to a completion." For her project, she chose to work with a nonprofit organization that works with cancer patients, as well as their families. WE SURVIVE owns 72 acres in Bloomfield, Kentucky. With the help of other members of her troop, she helped to make a retreat for those suffering from cancer. Lauren's part of the project was to plan and create a healing garden. This project involved much preparation and dedication, as well as over 250 hours of actual labor.

Lauren says she chose this project because she knows first hand what it is like to have a friend or family member with cancer. She has lost several people in her family to cancer, and she recently found out that her Grandfather has cancer. Her best friend of 13 years and a sister Girl Scout is also battling cancer. Lauren says, "She has been through numerous treatments and surgeries, and the cancer is still trying to bring her down. Seeing the look in her eyes as she planted flowers on The Pink Path was what it was all for. Everyone who stepped foot in the garden had that look in their eyes. The garden brought a sense of peace to anyone who looked at all the beautiful plants and flowers, as well as knowing all of the hard work that went into it."

In working towards achieving this goal, Lauren says she has learned to manage her time and has developed her leadership and communication skills. She also increased her ability to work with and direct others in getting a job done.

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For the Kids Remodeling Project

Brittney's Project was to completely re-model a room at Volunteers of America Freedom House. In the beginning there was moldy carpet with no padding, cracked walls with peeled paint and very little room for the children to move around. This project addressed the issue of learning through playing. The children are observed as they play to see if the fact that their mothers have been alcohol and or drug dependent has had any effect on them. The old playroom was drab and dirty. To benefit both the children and the workers, a spruce up of the playroom and the addition of the children’s library was in order.

With help from her friends and family, Brittney started clearing everything out of the room and throwing away items not needed. They washed down all the walls and primed and painted them a light yellow. Next, they painted murals on the walls. The ceiling tiles were replaced, and shelves for the toys and books were donated from neighbors, friends and church members. All the 450+ books were entered in the computer by title and author and a check-out card was made for each.

The new room provided Brittney with an incredible feeling of success, and it also provided the children with a fun safe place to play.

Animal Therapy Project

Katie’s Gold Award Project stands about 2½ feet tall, with dark brown eyes, friendly demeanor and swishy tail. His name is Scout and he is an AKC-registered Golden Retriever. She created a project that addressed the need of the residents of a local nursing home for regular contact with a dog.

Merely petting dogs and cats has been clinically proven to lower blood pressure and heart rate in humans, and therapy that includes the presence of animals is becoming widely accepted in the medical world. People who have regular contact with dogs have a lower incidence of heart disease than those who live solely with other people, and almost anyone can pet a dog, including those people who can’t do much else and have little motor function. Katie wanted to do something with animals, and with all the research to back her, knew that this would also be a good way to convince her parents to let her have a puppy. She started training Scout at the age of 2 months and, working closely with the administration of the nursing home, Katie and Scout began making weekly visits to the nursing home.

Katie also took the opportunity to educate many Girl Scout troops about her project, the Gold Award in general, why people should have pets, how to go about training a dog, and basic dog care. She worked with one troop and several of their parents so that they could continue to take Scout to his weekly visit with the elderly. And almost a year later, this troop continues to take Scout on a weekly visit to the nursing home to carry on Katie’s Gold Award Project.

The greatest thing Katie learned from the Gold Award is that other people really do reap the benefits of what others do for them. It was almost at the end of her project when it finally hit her that the residents were truly amazed by Scout, loved him, and responded to him unlike anything else in their lives. She recalls one story of a woman who she always considered kind, outgoing and interesting as being described by the nursing home staff as "anti-social," never even leaving her room for meals. But when Scout and Katie were there, her face would rise and she would talk to them for an hour or more at a time. She definitely feels they improved her quality this woman's life.

Katie’s advice for "Going for the Gold" is if you’re going to go for it – do it! It doesn’t have to be as all consuming as it seems if you plan it out and stick to your schedule. After your few months of hard work, it will definitely be worth it. She does say that it is a huge commitment and should be treated as such, but if you have the support of family, your troop leader, and other adults in your life, you can make it. Just be persistent and the right things will come your way if you look for them and look hard!

3-Day Camp for Disabled Children

Brittany organized a 3-day camp for children at a rehabilitation center. All of the children had some type of disability, ranging from severe cerebral palsy to clubfeet, and many things between. Brittany and the children did many fun things together, like playing kickball, making bird feeders and candle holders for their moms, and making string pictures. On the last day, they had to use all their skills and make a paper chain that went from one end of the room to the other. They all worked together and completed the task very quickly.

Brittany's whole family also got involved, working as a team to help Brittany accomplish her goal. Her sister worked on getting the supplies together, her brother helped make up the fliers, her dad cut wood and paper for the crafts, and her mom worked the phones and helped Brittany keep all the details together.

Brittany says this of her project, "The one thing I will remember about my project is the looks on the children’s faces. They all had great big smiles on them when I walked into the room. Everyday, I would go in tired and exhausted from the day before, but they would lighten my spirits as soon as I walked in the door. During the planning, I always tried to picture their smiling faces as a way to keep me motivated. The Gold Award is tough to earn, it takes a lot of hard work and energy and there is no guarantee it is going to happen. But you get back 20 times more what you put into it. I got to know and love 13 children for who they are. I got to spend time with them and make a difference in their lives. I also learned the meaning of true hard work and the rewards you feel when you know that you accomplished something and put your stamp on the world."

Newfound Friendship and the Gold Award

Kristi's project consisted of creating a new and innovative reading/tutoring program for a special-needs young adult at an adult day program for special-needs adult students. Wanting to help the student enhance a positive self-image, some of Kristi's goals were to provide leadership, a positive role model, and meaningful experiences for her student. Her student was a 15-year old girl who performed at a 9-year old level and was being home schooled by her family. Kristi worked with her for an hour and a half session twice a week. Her reading strategies included paired reading, reading aloud, discussion of books, taped stories, and a video for entertainment. By the end of Kristi's sessions with her new friend, the girl could read by herself with only minimal help. She also participated in word games to help her recognize the alphabet and she improved her math skills.

The first and foremost benefit of Kristi's Gold Project to both her student and herself was friendship. Being close to the same age, it gave both of them a different perspective. Kristi was her only friend outside of the center and she invited Kristi to her birthday party in June.

Kristi tells us, "From completing my Gold Award, I learned that I am a very fortunate person to be physically able to do all the things I want or have ever dreamed of doing. This project made me aware of the difficult situations that arise for a mentally-challenged individual. There were times when my student didn’t know the word to read and she would become very discouraged and I would help her sound it out. All the little things we take for granted, like reading, writing, manual dexterity, and vision, are prominently seen when working with a mentally-challenged individual. With all the wonderful opportunities that Girl Scouting has provided me, ...I encouraged my student to become a Girl Scout. As our friendship developed, my student and I talked about places we visited and shared experiences...I have been truly blessed."

Mexico: Understanding the People, Language, and Culture

Katie decided to "go for the gold" and design a Gold Award Project to promote cultural awareness within local elementary schools in regard to the increasing Mexican population in her community. After conducting extensive research, Katie created a teaching guide for elementary school teachers to introduce Mexican culture into the classroom. This 27-page teaching guide, entitled MEXICO: Understanding the People, Language and Culture, includes information on culture appreciation, geography, history, religion, currency, food, arts and crafts, fiestas, music, sports, customs, and more. Katie also recorded a 26-minute audiotape of basic Spanish lessons to accompany each teaching guide that was distributed. The main goal of the audiotape was to teach the children that not everyone speaks English and that learning a new language can be fun and challenging.

Katie presented her teaching materials to several local elementary schools, and at each presentation, she explained the motives for her project, encouraged teacher participation, and distributed the materials to interested individuals. Twenty-six teachers from five different elementary schools within the community accepted the teaching materials for use in their own classrooms.

Katie also hosted an exciting Mexican Fiesta. A total of 36 people attended this event, and seven Girl Scout Troops were represented. Activities consisted of talks on cultural appreciation, learning several basic Spanish phrases and two songs in Spanish, a mosaic art project, a cooking demonstration on how to make a tortilla, a chance to sample many delicious authentic Mexican foods, and, probably the most exciting of all, the beloved Piñata Game. All who attended this fiesta had an enjoyable experience that was both educational and fun.

Obtaining the Gold Award in Girl Scouting is a very involved process that requires careful planning and much dedication. Katie said that completing her Gold Award Project was not easy, but she learned numerous important skills in the process. She also feels fortunate to have had so many wonderful helping hands during the big fiesta, including her Gold Award Advisor and leader of many years, Connie Dunbar. Now Katie feels a definite sense of accomplishment in knowing that her project made an impact on individuals within her community. Her advice to other Girl Scouts is simple: "Do not be afraid to challenge your limits and self-given boundaries. Instead, strive daily to achieve all that you can!"

"For the Love of Music"

Christina is now a student at Purdue University studying Food Science, but not too long ago she was working hard on her Gold Award Project. Christina earned her Gold Award by providing "For the Love of Music" workshops to preschool and early elementary students in Georgetown, Indiana and at the Area 2 Mini-camp. Christina taught the children basic music concepts, helped the children make their own instruments, and organized a performance so the students could show their parents what they had learned.

Christina chose music as her Gold Award subject because she has always been involved with music (she even plays the violin) and wanted to encourage others to love music as much as she does. Christina said that one five year old boy who made a rubber band guitar learned how to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" then began writing his own song. So it definitely seemed like her love of music was passed on.

Going for the Gold Award was "very difficult but worthwhile." Christina says, "I grew in a lot of different ways. I used to not take any kind of criticism very well at all and now I’m much better at it. Earning the Gold Award helps you grow in many ways and it is worth the work and effort you put into it."

"Positive Pretties" Dance Camp

Nichole received her Gold Award in 1998. The project focused on Decreasing the Crime Rate by Offering Youth Basic Positive Life Skills. The project offered girls a positive alternative to things they may have been exposed to at school, in the home, or in the community. Nicole chose to coordinate, choreograph, and implement a Dance Camp at her church, Marrs Memorial Baptist Church. The Dance Camp concept was used to attract girls, but the emphasis was on learning basic positive life skills, such as, self-esteem, leadership, discipline, respect of self and others, dealing with stress, nutrition, and physical fitness. The name of the camp was called "Positive Pretties."

She selected a Dance Camp because it was related to her interest projects, overall Girl Scout experience, Southern High School Dance Team experience, and employment at the All Seasons Day Care. Her experiences, combined with an identified need at the Marrs Memorial Baptist Church congregation and the Louisville community, were the reasons for selecting this project. "Most publicity regarding youth is negative," Nicole says. "I felt it would be good to coordinate a program that would encourage basic positive life skills."

Experience from her interest projects taught her the importance of physical fitness, healthy eating, positive attitude, stress reduction, communication, coordination, and organizational abilities. She learned that she has the patience, motivation, and the dedication to do anything that she set her mind to. She says she's also learned not to procrastinate. The biggest reward she had was watching three years of preparation fulfilled in a successful Gold Award project.

She adds, "I suggest all girls should 'Go for the Gold'. Also, I recommend that you talk to other Gold Award recipients, so they may enlighten and advise about possible projects. It was truly a learning experience. This project was the groundwork for many more worthwhile projects in my future."